It was a relatively quiet start to Woodstock city council’s revenue budget deliberations.

The 90-minute meeting — the first of four to review and finalize the city’s revenue fund budget — involved department head presentations from human resources, communications and special events, parks and recreation, administrative services, and the clerk and CAO offices.

The human resources department was asking for $636,760 in 2019, an increase of $34,550 — or 5.74 per cent — to help cover wages, long service of part-time employees, and health and safety. Its budget last year was pegged at $602,210 but came in at $567,437 so $34,773 under budget due to two avoided arbitration cases.

The communications and special events budget presented an ask of $602,640, an increase of $25,700 — or 4.51 per cent — from last year’s $576,590.

The proposed CAO budget went from $300,780 in 2018 to $308,580 for a $7,800 increase, or 2.6 per cent.

Administrative services also saw a proposed uptick of 4.6 per cent, or $72,930, to $1,646,880 in 2019 from $1,573,950.

Parks and recreation asked for $5,255,380 in 2019 after receiving $4,916,668 last year, an increase of $338,712 or 6.88 per cent. Much of that increase comes from a jump of $197,760 to help run the Cowan Park Sportsplex.

The clerk’s department also made an ask of $1,845,220 in 2019, up from $1,802,880 in 2018 for an increase of $42,340 or 2.35 per cent. City clerk Amy Humphries said the proposed budget increase was actually 1.9 per cent but shows as higher due to the added expenses that came with the municipal election.

She also said the city came in under budget for the municipal election by about $15,000, which will be moved to Woodstock’s election reserve fund.

At the Feb. 21 council meeting, Woodstock CAO David Creery and city treasurer Patrice Hilderley gave council a brief overview of the 2019 budget.

The proposed revenue fund budget currently includes a tax levy increase of $2,389,504 for 2019. With the city’s growth and an increase in property assessment, that would mean a property tax increase about a 1.2 per cent on the average home assessment or $29.11 if the budget is approved.

The base budget represents a 0.42 per cent decrease in the tax rate, Hilderley told council, but the negative tax rate jumps to 1.2 per cent after the increased property assessment completed by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

A staff report to council showed the city’s “revenue outlook is positive,” adding property values have increased and led to a reassessment of about 2.4 per cent. MPAC gave the average assessment for a single-family home for 2019 at $250,773, up from $246,650 last year.

Total expenditures in the base budget are $78,887,040 for a 2.4 per cent increase compared to 2018. Money raised from taxes covers $56,290,470, which is a 4.4 per cent increase from 2018.

The reserve fund is listed as $51,633,464.76, but the administrative services department is continuing to go through the 2018 numbers with deputy treasurer Diane Campbell, saying it’s a mostly accurate figure. There’s also $258,793.56 in various trust funds.

“The reserve and reserve fund contributions remain pretty consistent from one year to the next,” Campbell said.

She also showed there was $15,549,938 in principal debt and projected $16,689,948 by the end of 2019 due to projects at the fire hall, road repairs and the engineering building.

The budget presentations will continue tonight with 13 departments, including economic development, fire, engineering, transit and public works.

The budget review will continue during the March 7 council meeting when the police board, library board and art gallery boards are discussed.